BBNaija All-Stars: Ilebaye’s Victory and Allegations of Playing the Pity Card for Votes
On Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day, Ilebaye Precious Odiniya, the youngest participant in BBNaija All-Stars Season 8, emerged victorious, securing the grand prize of N120 million and additional rewards with an impressive 30.08% of the votes, surpassing the first runner-up, Mercy, who had 23.48%.
In the BBNaija show, participants often strategically plan their approach to navigate the competition and vie for victory, adapting their strategies based on the evolving dynamics and twists of the show.
During the show, there were suggestions that Ilebaye’s approach involved appealing to viewers’ emotions, possibly playing the victim card to garner sympathy and votes. Some fellow housemates accused her of this strategy, believing she intentionally portrayed herself as a victim to win favor from the audience.
Instances were cited, including a disagreement over volume control with Whitemoney and a conversation where accusations of bullying were made against a fellow housemate, suggesting a calculated move to evoke sympathy.
Some housemates, like Ike, Cross, and Doyin, expressed their opinions that Ilebaye was playing the victim strategically to gain sympathy and votes. However, these allegations did not diminish her victory as she was crowned the winner of the All-Stars edition after 70 days in the Big Brother house.
It remains clear that whatever strategy Ilebaye employed, it ultimately proved successful, securing her the title of winner in the reality TV show’s eighth edition.
